1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clip for a flat fluorescent lamp, a flat fluorescent lamp having the clip, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device having the flat fluorescent lamp and a method of manufacturing the flat fluorescent lamp. More particularly, the present invention relates to a clip for a flat fluorescent lamp, which is capable of electrically connecting external electrodes, a flat fluorescent lamp having the clip, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device having the flat fluorescent lamp and a method of manufacturing the flat fluorescent lamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
An LCD device displays an image using liquid crystals that have optical characteristics such as anisotropy of refractivity and electrical characteristics such as anisotropy of dielectric constant. LCD devices have advantageous characteristics such as thinner thickness, lower driving voltage, lower power consumption, etc., than other display devices such as cathode ray tube (CRT) device, plasma display panel (PDP) device, etc. For at least these reasons, the LCD devices are commonly used in notebook computers, monitors, and television receivers, etc.
The LCD device is a non-emissive type display device that includes a backlight assembly to supply an LCD panel of the LCD device with a light.
A flat fluorescent lamp with a low manufacturing cost has been developed for a large screen LCD device. The flat fluorescent lamp includes a lamp body having a plurality of discharge spaces and a plurality of external electrodes through which a discharge voltage is applied to the lamp body. An inverter applies the discharge voltage to the external electrodes to form a plasma discharge in the discharge spaces. An ultraviolet light generated in the discharge spaces is converted into a visible light by a fluorescent layer formed on an inner surface of the lamp body.
When the external electrodes are on a lower surface and an upper surface of the lamp body, the external electrodes on the lower and upper surfaces are electrically connected to each other through an additional connecting member. The connecting member may not be securely combined with the external electrodes.